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1. CIVICS
CHAPTER-7
OUTCOMES OF
DEMOCRACY

2. INTRODUCTION
 As we begin to wind up our tour of democracy, it is time to move beyond our
discussion of specific themes and ask a general set of questions:
1. What does democracy do?
2. Or, what outcomes can we reasonably expect of democracy?
3. Also, does democracy fulfil these expectations in real life?
 We begin by thinking about how to assess the outcomes of democracy. After
some clarity on how to think on this subject, we proceed to look at the expected
and actual outcomes of democracy in various respects:
1. quality of government,
2. economic well-being,
3. inequality,
4. social differences and conflict and finally freedom and dignity.

3.  Our interest in and fascination for democracy often pushes us into
taking a position that democracy can address all socio-economic and
political problems.
 If some of our expectations are not met, we start blaming the idea of
democracy. Or, we start doubting if we are living in a democracy.
 The first step towards thinking carefully about the outcomes of
democracy is to recognise that democracy is just a form of
government.
 It can only create conditions for achieving something.
 The citizens have to take advantage of those conditions and achieve
those goals.
 Let us examine some of the things we can reasonably expect from
democracy and examine the record of democracy.

4. HOW DO WE ASSESS DEMOCRACY
Democracy is a better form of government than dictatorship in
the following respects:
1. Promotes equality among citizens;
2. Enhances the dignity of the individual,
3. Improves the quality of decision,
4. Provides a method to resolvemaking, conflicts and
5. Allows room to correct mistakes.
Are these expectations realised under democracies?

5. Accountable, responsive and legitimate government
(1)In a democracy, we are most concerned with ensuring that people will have the
right to choose their rulers and people will have control over the rulers.
 Whenever possible and necessary, citizens should be able to participate in
decision making, that affects them all.
 Therefore, the most basic outcome of democracy should be that it produces a
government that is accountable to the citizens, and responsive to the needs
and expectations of the citizens.
 Is the democratic government efficient? Is it effectibe?
 Non-democratic rulers do not have to bother about deliberation in assemblies or
worry about majorities and public opinion.
 So, they can be very quick and efficient in decision making and implementation.
 Democracy is based on the idea of deliberation and negotiation. So, some delay
is bound to take place.

6.  Imagine a government that decisions very fast.
 But it may take may take decisions that are not accepted by the people and may
therefore face problems.
 In contrast, the democratic government will take more time to follow procedures
before arriving at a decision.
 But because it has followed procedures, its decisions may be both more
acceptable to the people and more effective.
 So, the cost of time that democracy pays is perhaps worth it.
(2)Democracy ensures that decision making is based on norms and procedures.
 So, a citizen who wants to know if a decision was taken through the correct
procedures can find out this information.
 Sotizens can take part in decision making whenever they want.

7. (3)Ademocratic government is the people’s own government. People wish to be rule by
representatives elected by them.
 There is one respect in which democratic government is certainly better than its
alternatives: democratic government is legitimate government.
 It may be slow, less efficient, not always very responsive or clean.
 But a democratic government is people's own government.
 That is why there is an overwhelming support for the idea of democracy all over the
world.
 As the accompanying evidence from South Asia shows, the support exists in countries
with democratic regimes as well as countries without democratic regimes.
 People wish to be ruled by representatives elected by them. They also believe that
democracy is suitable for their country.
 Democracy's ability to generate its own support is itself an outcome that cannot be
ignored.

9. ECONOMIC GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
 If you consider all democracies and all dictatorships for the fifty years between
1950 and 2000, dictatorships have slightly higher rate of economic growth.
 The inability of democracy to achieve higher economic development worries us.
But this alone cannot be reason to reject democracy.
 As you have already studied in economics, economic development depends on
several factors: country's population size, global situation, cooperation from
other countries, economic priorities adopted by the country, etc.
 However, the difference in the rates of economic development between less
developed countries with dictatorships and democracies is negligible.
 Overall, we cannot say that democracy is a guarantee of economic
development.
 But we can expect democracy not to lag behind dictatorships in this respect.

10.  When we find such significant difference in the rates of economic
growth between countries under dictatorship and democracy, it is better
to prefer democracy as it has several other positive outcomes.
ECONOMIC OUTCOMES OF DEMOCRACY
 The following points show the relationship of democracy with
economic growth and economic inequalities.
 1. Dictatorial regime has had a slightly better record of economic
growth. But when we compare their record only in poor countries,
there is virtually no difference.
 2. There can be a very high degree of inequalities within democracies.
 3. There is often inequality of opportunities available to the poorer
sections of the society.

12. REDUCTION OF INEQUALITYAND POVERTY
 Even when a country achieves economic growth,
 will wealth be distributed in such a way that all citizens of the country
will have a share and lead a better life?
 Is economic growth in democracies accompanied by increased
inequalities among the people?
 Or do democracies lead to a just distribution of goods and
opportunities?
 All individuals have equal weight in electing representatives. In the
process of bringing individuals into the political arena on an equal
footing, we find growing economic inequalities.

13. A small number of ultra-rich enjoy a
highly disproportionate share of wealth
and incomes.
 Their share in the total income of the
country has been increasing.
• Those at the bottom strata of the
society have very little to depend upon.
Their incomes have been declining.In
actual life, democracies do not appear
to be very successful in reducing
economic inequalities.

14. The poor constitute a large proportion of our voters and no
party will like to lose their votes.
Yet democratically elected governments do notappear to be as
keen to address the question of poverty as you would expect
them to.
The situation is much worse in some other countries.
In Bangladesh, more than half of its population lives in
poverty.
People in several poor countries are now dependent on the rich
countries even for food supplies

15. Accommodation of social diversity
 Do democracies lead to peaceful and harmonious life among citizens?
 It will be a fair expectation that democracy should produce a
harmonious social life.
 We have seen in the earlier chapters how democracies accommodate
various social divisions.
 We saw in the first chapter how Belgium has successfully negotiated
differences among ethnic populations.
 Democracies usually develop a procedure to conduct their competition.
 This reduces the possibility of these tensions becoming explosive or
violent

16.  No society can fully and permanently resolve conflicts among different groups.
 But we can certainly learn to respect these differences and we can also evolve
mechanisms to negotiate the differences.
 Democracy is best suited to produce this outcome. Non-democratic regimes
often turn a blind eye to or suppress internalsocial differences.
 Ability to handle social differences, divisions and conflicts is thus a definite plus
point of democratic regimes.
 But the example of Sri Lanka reminds us that a democracy must fulfil two
conditions in order to achieve this outcome:
 1.It is necessary to understand that democracy is not simply rule by majority
opinion.
 The majority always needs to work with the minority so that governments
function to represent the general view.
 Majority and minority opinions are not permanent.

17. 2.It is also necessary that rule by majority does not become rule
by majority community in terms of religion or race or
linguistic group, etc.
 Rule by majority means that in case of every decision or in
case of every election, different persons and groups may and
can form a majority.
 Democracy remains democracy only as long as every citizen
has a chance of being in majority at some point of time.
 If someone is barred from being in majority on the basis of
birth, then the democratic rule ceases to be accommodative for
that person or group.

18. Dignity and freedom of the citizens
 Democracy stands much superior to any other form of government in
promoting dignity and freedom of the individual.
 Every individual wants to receive respect from fellow beings.
 Often conflicts arise among individuals because some feel that they are
not treated with due respect.
 The passion for respect and freedom are the basis of democracy.
 Democracies throughout the world have recognised this, at least in
principle.
 This has been achieved in various degrees in various democracies.
 For societies which have been built for long on the basis of
subordination and domination, it is not a simple matter to recognize that
all individuals are equal.

19. Take the case of dignity of women.
 Most societies across the world were historically male dominated societies.
 Long struggles by women have created some sensitivity today that respect to and equal
treatment of women are necessary ingredients of a democratic society.
 That does not mean that women are actually always treated with respect.
 But once the principle is recognised, it becomes easier for women to wage a struggle
against what is now unacceptable legally and morally.
 In a non-democratic set up, this unacceptability would not have legal basis because the
principle of individual freedom and dignity would not have the legal and moral force
there.
The same is true of caste inequalities.
 Democracy in India has strengthened the claims of the disadvantaged and discriminated
castes for equal status and equal opportunity.
 There are instances still of caste-based inequalities and atrocities, but these lack the
moral and legal foundations.
 Perhaps it is the recognition that makes ordinary citizens value their democratic rights.

20.  Expectations from democracy also function as the criteria for judging any democratic
country.
 What is most distinctive about democracy is that its examination never gets over. As
democracy passes one test, it produces another test.
 As people get some benefits of democracy, they ask for more and want to make democracy
even better.
 That is why, when we ask people about the way democracy functions, they will always come
up with more expectations, and many complaints.
 The fact that people are complaining is itself a testimony to the success of democracy: it
shows that people have developed awareness and the ability to expect and to look critically at
power holders and the high and the mighty.
 A public expression of dissatisfaction with democracy shows the success of the
democratic project: it transforms people from the status of a subject into that of a
citizen.
 Most individuals today believe that their vote makes a difference to the way the
government is run and to their own self-interest.

21. Exercise
1. How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and legitimate
government?
2. What are the conditions under which democracies accommodate social
diversities?
3. Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:
 i) Industrialisedd countries can afford democracy but the poor need dictatorship
to become rich.
 ii) Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes betweendifferent citizens.
 iii) Government in poor countries should spend less on poverty reduction,
health, education and spend more on industries andinfrastructure.
 Iv) In democracy all citizens have one vote, which means that there is absence
of any domination and conflict.

22.  Q.1 How does democracy produce an accountable, responsive and
legitimate government?
 Ans-The government can be accountable by framing and developing
various laws and policies in which citizens can hold the government
responsible if any of those policies and laws are not implemented or
are held against the welfare of the citizens.The government can be
responsible when people start taking actions when the government
becomes insensitive about their aspirations. People can hold protests,
carry out campaigns and organise rallies and force the government to
respond to them. A democratic government is a legitimate government,
as it is elected by citizens and enjoys the confidence and trust of the
citizens.

23. Q.2 What are the conditions under which democracies
accommodate social diversities?
Ans-Social diversities can be accommodated byfocussing on all
the communities of the society. The majority and minority
communities should be given equalattention. Democracy is not
the rule of the achieve progress and development of the nation. It
is equally important to understand majority in a
democracy.majority. In democratic countries, both the majority
and minority work together tothat the rule of the majority is not
expressed in terms of religion or languages.Any person or group
may become majority in the democracy.

24.  3. Give arguments to support or oppose the following assertions:
 i- Industrialised countries can afford democracy but the poor needdictatorship to
become rich.
 Ans- Industrialised countries can afford democracy, but the poor needdictatorship
to become rich - There is no relationship between democracy and the wealth of
the nation. The economic development of the nation is dependent upon the
resources, the policies and the openness of the government to attract investment.
If the dictatorship could have brought wealth in the nation, countries like Nigeria
would be having all rich people, which is not the case in reality. income
inequality as there are sectional communities which have
 ii) Democracy can’t reduce inequality of incomes between different citizens
 Ans- Yes, democracy can not reducedifferent professions. Income equality is not
a value of democracy as democracy brings social and political equality. People
have the right to vote and can access fundamental rights, but income is self-
generated, and th depends on their ability to work.